Because we are stronger together. | We believe in empowering women and girls. That's why we host events online and in-person to bring awesome humans together to connect, collaborate, and change our world. Our vision is to build a powerful global network of female leaders, and set the bar for collaboration, charity, and community contribution.

Blog

How Sabrina Philipp Built a Million Dollar Business using Social Media With Soul

Today, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sabrina Philipp, the 24-year-old college-grad-turned-CEO who built her million-dollar business and personal brand using the power of social media with soul.

In just about a year and a half.

From her laptop.

In Bali.

Pretty freaking epic, right?

Sabrina Philipp built her brand using social media with soul + sheer determination and, today, she spilled the secrets on how she did it so quickly.

Since our Facebook Live had some tech issues that made the sound a tad unbearable, we transcribed the entire interview. Now, you can read the full text below! Without my echo (echo… echo…). 😇

(Because, what do ladybosses do when life throws curveballs? They go with it, do their best, and keep slaying!)

Grab a drink, get a pen and some paper to take notes, then read on to learn her tips for building your own business with social media.

Ellen Coule: Hi, Sabrina! Thank you so much for being here with us today. It’s so great to see you and we’re so excited to ask you questions from our viewers who are dying to learn all of your expert tips for building an online business.

Sabrina Philipp: Yes, please! Let’s get into it.

Ellen: Awesome. First, I’d love for you to introduce yourself to our viewers and tell them a bit about you, your business, and how you help entrepreneurs.

Sabrina: Yeah, thank you. I’m an online business coach. I’ve been living in Bali for the past two and a half years, and I help people start and grow successful online businesses.

I primarily do this through coaching programs and courses and I use my signature framework: Intentional, Manageable, and Profitable, to balance the energetic and the mindset and the spiritual side of running a business – and just being a healthy, happy, whole human being – with the strategy of marketing and sales and scaling and hiring to make that process easy for people. But really to do in a way that feels good for them. So that’s a little bit about what I do.

Ellen: Having clear intentions is so vital. I’d love for you to share with our viewers a little more about how you help people build a business that is intentional, manageable, and profitable.

Sabrina: Yeah, I think it all comes back to intention. And this is something I’m kinda revisiting myself over and over again right now. It’s something that we all do every day where we need to ask ourselves:

“Is this what I want?”

And if it’s what I want:

“How do I get more of what I want?”

First, we need to know what feels good for us.

“What do I really stand for? What do I believe in?”

I think that piece is so foundational just because I know I’m not the only one who might be watching the livestream who feels like one day they woke up and they’re like: “Is this really my life? How did I get here? I didn’t sign up for this.”

I think that happens because sometimes we go along with situations that we didn’t want or that we weren’t willing to push back or to show some resistance toward. So it’s really important for me to help people get very clear on what it is that they want.

In terms of what that might look like in a business, for example, I think it’s really important for us to understand not only what type of business do I want, but how do I want my business to operate, how do I want my business to flow. For example, I have some clients who’d be really happy having a six-figure salary, very comfortably working 10-15 hours a week and they’d be super happy with that.

And then I have other clients who want to have seven-figure or multiple-seven-figure businesses, and they wanna be working a lot. So it’s really about understanding how you want to operate your business, and how you want to flow through life.

Because for me, the reason why I created an online business was so that I would be able to have the life I always wanted and so that I would be able to travel and see the world and do things the way that I wanted to do them. So I need to keep that at the forefront of every decision that I make, so that I don’t sacrifice what I want because I think that’s when we start sacrificing what we want and we start betraying ourselves that one day we do get to that moment, we’re like, “Wait, I don’t want this anymore.” Which is why a lot of people leave corporate to go start online businesses. Because they’re like, “I don’t want this.” You know?

Ellen: There are so many people who get into business, and it becomes something that creates a lot of resistance and feels very difficult for them because it starts to feel so far away from the lifestyle they actually wanted.

Sabrina: Exactly. And so for me, I love business for business, I’m very intellectually driven, I love the strategy of it. It’s like House of Cards meets Game of Thrones in the best way. I like that side of it, but it’s also just kind of like… my life is more important to me, and that needs to come first.

But that’s just me, and there’s no right or wrong answer because every person is different, but that’s why it’s so important that we know ourselves.

Ellen: Absolutely. I’d love for you to tell our viewers some of the amazing results you’ve been able to personally achieve from using social media to build your business?

Sabrina: Absolutely. Thank you for asking that, Ellen. So, for me, social media has been really foundational just because I personally believe that social media is not just a powerful tool for us to make money, but for us to impact people, period. And the first time that I saw this actually was before I started my business and it’s when I was in college.

So, when I was in college, I was a part of an organization that engaged in some pretty sketchy practices where it was very discriminatory towards women, it was very discriminatory toward people of color, toward people who are within the queer community, to people who are not associated with Greek life. And so I was a senior and I was feeling a little bit brave and I was like, “Let’s blow this stuff up.”

So I made a video and a social media campaign that ended up going viral, and I was interviewed in a lot of international media. And it had a big impact on me and it made me realize how powerful social media is for influencing people and for creatign change and for bringing communities together. And that was kind of my first experiment with social media, and that’s actually why my first business, when I moved to Bali, was to become a social media manager. So kind of leveraging that experience.

From there, now talking about what results I have been able to create in my own business. I was featured in Forbes a little bit over a year ago. And, at the time, I was able to put together an organic social media marketing strategy that allowed the article to go viral and we had 100,000 views within the first 24 hours, which was extremely exciting.

And because – not necessarily of the press – but because of the social media marketing that I was able to do around that, I was able to grow my social media following very quickly and I was also able to bring in $70,000 with a group program shortly after that. And then, a few months later, I did a $500,000 launch of another program. Social media is really the foundation of my business and I think it’s so powerful.

Again, just kind of circling back to this idea where it’s not just about the money that we make, but it’s also about the impact and the way we’re able to build community.

Ellen: Speaking of the impact you’ve been able to have on the world through your own business and your clients: I know you have clients in all industries, with all backgrounds, and I’d love for you to share what amazing results you have seen your clients achieve with social media.

Sabrina: Well, I’m so glad you asked this question because I actually just went to go get dinner with one of my clients like an hour ago.

I have this beautiful client named Cait, and I remember that when she first signed up to work with me I did not need to get on a discovery call with her. I sold her into my coaching program via Facebook Messenger, and she sent over $15,000 paid in full.

So, just like that, I was able to make a huge multiple five-figure sale, cash in my bank account, just using Facebook Messenger. And the way that I was able to do that was through content marketing.

To talk a little bit about some case results… through her social media, she has been featured in Forbes, she’s been featured in a lot of other media placements, she has been able to create consistent $30,000 cash months, she’s had wonderful launches, filled out her program, sold out her masterminds – some of which I’ve been a guest expert for.

It’s just amazing to see someone grow so quickly by leaning into social media and by really mastering content marketing. So, Cait is one great example.

I have another client, Brooke, who I’m also super proud of. She recently had a $60,000 launch, and she’s also making consistent $30,000 cash months.

I have another client, Jamie, who had a six-figure launch recently, and she’s just going up and up and up from there.

Social media is really able to create powerful results. And the reason why… because you might be hearing this and thinking…

“Okay, Sabrina… Well, what’s the secret? You’re telling me all these people make money, but how did they do it?”

And the answer really comes down to social media and content marketing. What I mean by that is: We need to build communities around our message. That’s how we affect change.

It’s because people believe in what we’re telling them. What they value is the same as what we value. And that’s why your messaging is so important. Because if you are trying to say what everyone else is saying because you’re thinking, “Oh, Sabrina is saying this, so let me try it on for size and see if it sticks,” or “Ellen is saying that, so let me try saying that and see if it sticks,” then it’s never going to land because that’s not your core fundamental truth. Once we know our truth, then we can find people who feel the same way.

And that’s so important because our vibe attracts our tribe, right? What we put out is what we attract back to us. And there needs to be that fundamental level of trust where people know that we believe what we’re telling them. And that they trust us that we can go ahead and bring them closer, bring them deeper, and create those powerful results that are really gonna lead to lasting change, and also lead to financial success in their business.

Ellen: Absolutely. Speaking of content marketing and sharing our core fundamental truths… In your course, Social Media With Soul, you teach people about the 4 different types of content that entrepreneurs need to be sharing, and I’d love for you to talk to our viewers about: What are the 4 different types of content you teach people to write? Why are they so important, and how do they help people share their core message?

Sabrina: Yes, absolutely. As Ellen touched on, I do teach that there are 4 types of social media content. And, before I tell you what they are, I’ll tell you why I believe that there are four different types.

I see a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners make the mistake that they lean too much into one type of content over the other. For example, people post a lot of inspirational content, and they’re like,

“Why am I still broke? I’m showing up on social media every day! I’m posting every day!”

Or they post a lot of teaching content and they’re like, “Why am I still broke? I was showing up every day, and I’m posting every day.”

And the reason why is because if you just hit on one piece of the sales process, it’s not going to fully lead to that “know, like, and trust factor” that’s necessary to make an investment. I’ll tell you what the 4 types are, and then I’ll explain that piece a little bit.

Teaching content is what makes you look like an expert because you’re saying, “This is what it is. Here’s my theory, here’s my idea, here’s three steps to go get what you want.”

Inspiration content is like, “Wow, she did it. I can do it too.” or “Wow, her clients did it. I can do it too.” So we’re the facilitator of transformation. This is important because if people are gonna invest in us, they need to believe that it’s possible for them too.

Connection content is what make us look like a human. Like, “Sabrina, yeah, she has a big business, and she can lay on the beach sometimes, and she can go get a cocktail, and she can go get a massage, and she can go travel. She’s a human too, I like her.” That’s important because – especially if you’re doing intimate services like private coaching or consulting – that trust piece, that connection piece, that “I like her, and I’d be friends with her” factor is really important. Something that’s super interesting is that people say that the person who gets elected President, is the one that you would invite home for dinner. I’m not necessarily sure that happened in the last election, but as a general rule, we tend to vote for people who we would wanna be friends with and we’d wanna hang out with. Which is why when television came into play, it was such a big thing with the Nixon-Kennedy debates. So there’s that piece for connection.

Sales content is saying, “Hey, I have something to sell.” Some people never ever post that they’ve got something to sell, and they wonder while they’re still broke.

So it’s that synergy between all four different types of content that really allows you to stand out as an entrepreneur, and to have that well-rounded content marketing strategy that is going to have people (1) see you as an expert, (2) believe that you can help them, (3) feel connected to you, and (4) know what you’re selling, so that they would make that decision to invest. So that’s what that looks like.

Ellen: That is pure gold. Our next question comes from Ciarán. He wants to know: “As a digital nomad, how do you suggest getting clients without referrals or resorting to Upwork, Fiverr, etc.” And I have a feeling you’re going to say, “Social media!”

Sabrina: It’s social media! So here’s the amazing thing about it. It doesn’t matter where I am in the world. Currently, I’m in Bali. This past year so far, I’ve been in Italy twice, London twice, I think Paris twice, Greece, Australia like eight times, Hong Kong, all the places, Singapore. It didn’t matter where I was… I was still able to run my business, because of social media.

That’s ultimately what it is that we’re trying to create. We’re trying to create a brand and a business that has a global online presence. And because of that, regardless of where we’re located, we can attract the clients to us. This is also really powerful, just because the amount of potential clients is limitless. We are not restricted to our geographic location.

This can be a bit of a challenge for people who are, let’s say, in small town, rural areas. If you’re trying to open up a pizza shop, there’s only so many people who can go there, right? And what if you have competition? It’s not like there’s gonna be a million new babies in that small town.

Social media is different. There are literally billions of people on the planet, and so many of them are connected to Facebook, and Instagram, and LinkedIn. Social media is really a powerful tool for connecting with others and making sales in your business, even if you’re a digital nomad.

Ellen: So true. Our next question is from another viewer. Shampaigne asked: “What consistent systems do you have in place for your business?” How are you facilitating such fast, consistent growth in such a short time for your business using systems?

Sabrina: Mentorship and people. I think it all comes down to people, whether that’s hiring a coach, signing up for a course, getting a VA (Virtual Assistant), getting an OBM (Online Business Manager), getting a Social Media Manager.

I think people really make the difference, especially good people. For us, it really helps that if I need to write a sales page, I don’t need to take 10 hours out of my day to go do that – I can delegate that to somebody else.

I have a team of anywhere from 10 to 12 people at any given moment. We have a core team of about 10 people, but we have contractors who rotate in and out. And that makes a huge difference for us because they can step in as needed, and they can take charge on certain projects and certain aspects of the business.

And, because of that, I’m able to focus on the things that I really need to be doing. Like creating content, consulting with clients, sales activities, things like that. That has been the most important system. And I have an operations manager, who pretty much handles everything, so I just kind of have to show up now.

But that’s the business that I wanted to create and, because of that, I’m willing to invest more heavily in my team, which is why – going back to our earlier conversation – knowing what type of business you want and understanding your currency is a piece of that.

For me, my currency is time. That’s the thing that I value. Because of that, I’m willing to invest more money to get more of my time back.

Ellen: Awesome. I would also love for you to tell our viewers a bit more about the amazing program that you’re launching this week.

Sabrina: Yes, definitely! Thank you, Ellen. I’m currently launching a course called Social Media With Soul. It’s a 6-week online course to help you show up on social media and make more money. It will teach you everything from:

What type of content do I need to be sharing?

How do I sell on Facebook?

How do I grow Facebook group?

What are some different Instagram marketing strategies I can use?

How do I sell via Facebook messenger?

Pinterest

and all of these things that you need to know in order to be successful as an online business owner as it relates to social media.

I’ve done a lot of work to create this amazing holistic course to help you do exactly that.

It’s a 6-week course, and it also has 4 bonus trainings. One of the ones that I’m most excited about is called Twitter for Press and it basically talks about how you can connect with other journalists and media professionals via Twitter to potentially be featured in press and other forms of media. That’s something I’ve personally used in the past, and it’s something that I highlight in one of 4 bonus trainings. So that’s the course that I’m currently launching, and it’s available now. You can get Module One right now and Module Two gets released today!

Ellen: For our viewers who’d like to check this out, just visit this link: http://bit.ly/SMWSsignup – I took this course when it first launched over a year ago and absolutely loved it. And now there is so much new information added to it!

Ellen: Before you go, I have two more questions I’d love to ask you. First, if you could go back in time to a year ago and tell yourself anything, what would it be?

Sabrina: Ooh, that’s good! Well, a year ago October, I’d already had my first six-figure month. Hmm, I don’t know! I feel like I would tell my personal self more things than my business self.

I think from a business perspective, I would say:

“Just stay focused. Stay-focused. Know exactly what you want. Never settle for anything less than what you want. Stay focused. Keep your eyes on the prize.”

Ellen: My last question is: What would your advice be for people who are just starting out or just getting started using social media for their business?

Sabrina: One of the number one things that I see come up for people just getting started on social media, is that they’re afraid to post or show up or go live because they think,

“What will people say? What will people think?”

This is something that I’m navigating in my personal life at the moment, too. And the answer that I’ve gotten from my coach is:

“You do it for you. You don’t do it for anyone else. Your haters do not pay your bills. You do it for yourself. You do it for your business.”

If you wanna extend that: You do it for your ideal client, you do it for the person who needs to hear from you, you do it for the person who cares about you, you do it for the person who’s going to invest in you. Because if they’re your people, they want you to show up, they want you to succeed.

So if there’s some sort of resistance or hesitance around showing up on social media, that’s something to look at, unpack, and sort through quickly. Because that’s the number one thing that’s gonna hold you back. Because if you don’t show up, and if you don’t get seen, then you can’t get paid.

So that’s where we need to start. Just kinda understanding what these blocks are around visibility and finding ways to move through them. And I think the way that we can do that is by remembering that someone’s potential negative comment really has nothing to do with what we’re doing for ourselves… which is that we’re trying to build a business, we’re trying to impact the world in big ways.

And, beyond that, the person that we do care about is the person who wants to hear from us. It’s the person who believes in our message. And that’s who we’re gonna put our focus onto.

Ellen: Thank you so much, Sabrina. I really appreciate you being here today and sharing your knowledge with us. Is there anything else you’d like to tell our viewers before you go?

Sabrina: I just want to say, thank you so much. Ellen is such an amazing person, and she has been in my field for, I think, two years now. Ellen, you were one of the first ever people who followed me on social media. So, it’s just amazing to be able to connect with you now and to be able to do this livestream together.

Ellen: Thank you, Sabrina. It has been such a pleasure watching you grow and expand and influence so many people to really step into their power.

Sabrina: Thank you, Ellen, and thank you all so much for joining us today. This was really fun, and thank you so much for your questions.

Ellen: Thank you all so much for tuning in! I’m really sorry about the echo. I’m going to transcribe this video so, if the echo made it difficult for you to hear my questions, you’ll be able to read what I asked Sabrina and see all of her questions in writing. So you can take really great notes and apply this to your own business!

Sabrina’s six-week course, Social Media With Soul, is amazing. She walks you through literally every single type of social media that you need to be on for your business.

She walks you through every type of content you need to create for your business, and how to create it from a place that feels really, really great for you. In a way that it feels aligned with your goals, aligned with your values, and aligned with your voice so you can show up on social media and know exactly what to say, know exactly who you’re talking to, and know exactly how to do it, in a way that feels really good, which is the piece that I feel like a lot of people are missing.

And it’s another reason why so many people, as Sabrina said, get really nervous about showing up live – because they don’t necessarily know if what they’re saying is valuable or if how they’re saying it as valuable, or going to be heard the right way.

I would love to support you completely in your journey.

If you do decide to go through her course, Social Media With Soul, and you sign up through my link, you’ll also be getting one BONUS 2-hour strategy call with me.

This is currently the only opportunity to work with me one-on-one.

After you’ve gone through all of Sabrina’s content in Social Media With Soul, and she has helped you create a plan with her course, then you and I will get on the phone to review all of your content. This one-on-one time will give you an extra boost of confidence to really make sure that everything you’ve created is a really wonderful reflection of you, your values, and your message.

I would be honored to support you in that.

Note: You can only get a Bonus 2-hour VIP Strategy Call with me, Ellen Coule, by signing up via this link: http://bit.ly/SMWSsignup

The doors to Social Media With Soul will close at 11:59pm EST on October 31st, 2018. My bonus offer will expire at that time.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below or email me at hello@ladybosssocial.club so I can help you determine if this course is the right fit for you.

Cheers to your success, LadyBoss!

Ellen Coule

P.S. I’m a proud affiliate of this program and if you purchase through my link, I may receive a small payment, which is why I’m offering you such an amazing bonus at no extra cost to you. I rarely promote other peoples’ products or services and, when I do, I only promote ones that I know, love, and use myself. My promise to you: I will only recommend products and services I believe in 100%.